Blueberry Group Says Schools Push Is Bearing Fruit

DEBLOIS, Maine (AP) — The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine says its drive to get wild blueberries into school lunches is panning out.

The commission launched the Wild Blueberry School Foodservice Program as part of the effort. The commission says Minnesota public schools signed on to the program last month, joining Maine, Vermont and 14 other states.

The commission says Minnesota has become first in the nation to offer frozen wild blueberries to its 553 school districts in 24-pound cases.

The blueberries are offered through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Commodity Food Program. The commission says it is targeting the rest of the states in the country to add wild blueberries to their commodity food lists.

Maine's wild blueberry industry has been looking to schools to boost sales amid recent years of surplus crop.